onkar627/MentalHealth huggingface dataset:
Question: An adult in my life seems ill and won’t find help. What can I do?
Answer: It’s difficult when an adult child, sibling, parent, friend, co-worker, or other important person is struggling or behaving in ways that are causing harm. This can be a tricky situation—you want to help, but most adults are responsible for their own care. 
 There are two important points to think about. First, diagnosing a health condition, especially when symptom-checking is so easy online, can be dangerous. Diagnosis is still always best left to professionals who can look at the whole picture. Remember, too, that the person you care about may have a very different idea of what’s causing their difficulties and what the negative impacts are on their life. Second, except in rare cases, the person being treated needs to be an active player in their own recovery to continue with their treatment, just as they would for any other health problem. If the vast majority of cases, you cannot do this work entirely for them—and trying to do so may damage your relationship. 
 Be honest about your concerns, the impacts you are seeing that worry you, listen to their point of view and work together to find a solution that works for everyone, even if it means a compromise. You may want to offer to go with them to an appointment, encourage them to do an online screening self-test, or involve someone else close to them who may be similarly concerned and may have more influence in encouraging them to notice changes and seek help. Because you may be feeling frustrated and helpless, it’s important to get care and support for yourself during this time, especially if you’re very close to the person you’re worried about. 
 In serious situations, the BC Mental Health Act allows someone to be held for a period of time for psychiatric assessment without their consent if they are at risk of harming themselves or others. While it’s necessary in some situations to get someone the care they need, it can be traumatic for everyone involved. For more on the BC Mental Health Act, see the Guide to the Mental Health Act.
Question: I’m worried about my child or teenager. Where can I find help?
Answer: It can be hard to figure out what to do if you’re concerned about a young person in your family. Many people start by talking with their family doctor. If you don’t have a family doctor, you can find a doctor through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. You can also visit a walk-in clinic. Depending on the situation, your family doctor may offer everything you need. If your child needs more specialized services, such as psychiatry services, your family doctor needs to make a referral for your child. Many family doctors can also recommend community services or supports in your community. Learn more about the role of family doctors in the info sheet What to Expect from Your Family or Walk-In Clinic Doctor. 
 If your child’s difficulties affect their performance or behaviour at school, the school may be involved. If your child’s school has a counsellor, talk to them about services you can access through the school. School counsellors can also suggest community services. See the info sheet What to Expect from Your Child's School. 
 Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre offers information, resources, peer support, and system navigation to children, youth, and families experiencing mental health or substance use challenges. Their Help Finder tool and help you navigate the mental health system. Kelty Mental Health is based at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, but they support young people and their families across the province. 
 Institute of Families for Child and Youth Mental Health advocates for healthy young people and family support. They offer resources and education events across BC. 
 The Canadian Mental Health Association’s BC Division offers Confident Parents: Thriving Kids, a phone-based education and support program to help parents or caregivers manage mild to moderate behaviour problems for children ages 3 to 12. This program is free, but it requires a doctor’s referral. 
 You may also want to check out these resources from HeretoHelp on child and youth mental health and substance use:
Question: Someone I care about has a brain injury. Where can I find more information?
Answer: A brain injury itself isn’t the same as a mental illness, though someone who experiences a brain injury may also experience mental health problems. These mental health problems may stem from the injury itself or from thoughts around the injury (like feelings of loss, anger, or frustration when quality of life changes). In some cases, mental health challenges may not be related to a brain injury at all. The good news is that mental health problems are treatable, even if you or someone you care about has experienced a brain injury. It may be helpful to find a service provider who is familiar with both brain injuries and mental health. 
 For more information and support, visit the BC Brain Injury Association. You can also find local and regional groups and organizations in BC through the Brain Injury Association of Canada.
Question: I’m a young person and one of my parents has a mental illness. What can I do?
Answer: Someone else’s illness is not your fault. You also can’t control how someone else feels, their illness, or the things they do or say. What you can do is take care of yourself. 
 Learning more about your parent’s illness can make it a bit easier to understand what they experience. On this website, you can find easy-to-read booklets on mental illnesses as well as longer info sheets on many different mental illnesses. You can also find information for young people from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. 
 It’s important to take care of yourself, too! A lot of people have a big mix of feelings when a parent isn’t well. You might feel angry, embarrassed, scared, or many other things. These feelings and experiences can have a big impact on the way your think about yourself and other people. When you’re on an airplane and the flight attendants go through the safety demonstration, they tell you to put your own oxygen mask on before your help other people. That’s because it’s hard to help someone else if you aren’t well yourself. Here are some programs specifically for young people: 
 Kids in Control Support Group Program from the BC Schizophrenia Society helps children and youth ages 8-18 understand mental illnesses, cope with challenges, and take care of their own health and well-being. If Kids in Control is not currently available at your local branch, your branch can order materials so you can work through them on your own. 
 Super Saturday Club from CMHA Vancouver-Fraser is a free recreation group for children and youth ages 8-17 who have a parent that experiences a mental illness. To learn more, visit www.vancouver-fraser.cmha.bc.ca. 
 If you’re having trouble coping with something going on at home, ask for some help! Here are some places you can go: 
 A teacher or counsellor at school 
 An adult you trust, like a friend’s parent or another family member 
 Kids Help Phone: visit www.kidshelpphone.ca to learn about taking care of yourself and chat with a counsellor, or call 1-800-668-6868 to talk with a counsellor 
 YouthinBC: Visit www.youthinbc.com to chat with a trained volunteer (noon-1.00am Pacific Time) 
 BC Mental Health Support Line: If you ever need to talk to someone or you’d like to see what kind of resources are in your community, call 310-6789 (no area code) at any time
Question: I have thoughts of suicide, or someone I care about is talking about suicide. What should I do?
Answer: If you need to talk to someone or you aren’t sure how to help someone you care about, call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) at any time. Or type your concern using live chat (like texting online) at www.crisiscentrechat.ca between noon and 1am. They can help you, and they can suggest good local resources. If you’re at risk of harm or think someone else is in danger and you need help right now, call 911. 
 It’s scary to have thoughts of suicide or hear that someone you can care about has thoughts of suicide. Thoughts of suicide don’t mean that someone will end their life, but it’s a sign that they need extra help or support. If you have thoughts of suicide, it’s important to talk with your doctor or mental health service provider. If you’re supporting someone else, encourage them to seek help. 
 Coping With Suicidal Thoughts is a good resource to help you understand and manage difficult feelings. 
 Our info sheet on suicide has information on suicide, helping someone else, and finding help. What is Suicide? is a booklet with audio in plain language for lower literacy readers. 
 The Centre for Suicide Prevention has many resource toolkits on suicide for different audiences, including people serving in the military, young people, teens, older adults, Aboriginal community members, and LGBT community members.
Question: Cannabis is legally allowed to 19+ but there are doctor groups saying it’s potentially harmful to age 25. Any use or certain use? What’s myth and what’s fact? If I’m a parent, what should I tell my young adult?
Answer: Using cannabis has the potential for benefits and harms. Young people use cannabis, like other psychoactive drugs, to feel good, to feel better, to do better or to explore. Trying cannabis out of curiosity, as an experiment, or while socializing with friends, is related to moderate use and lower potential for harm. Using cannabis to cope with daily life, deal with unpleasant feelings, or fit in with a social group has higher potential for harm. This is because dealing with these kinds of issues is associated with frequent and heavier use, less thought about potential harms and little consideration of alternatives for coping such as talking with a parent or trusted adult or physical activity with friends. 
 Evidence suggests that the younger a person is when they start using cannabis and the more often they use, the greater the potential for harms. The legal age to use cannabis in BC is 19. However, our brains do not finish developing until about age 25. Delaying cannabis use until early adulthood may reduce potential harmful effects on the brain. 
 Some young people, especially those with many factors predisposing them to serious and persistent mental health issues, should probably not use cannabis. Cannabis has been associated with an increased risk for psychosis and schizophrenia in this small group of people. Some people with serious mental health issues have also reported that using cannabis has helped them cope with their illness by helping them feel less anxious or stressed. As in most situations, balancing potential benefits and harms of using cannabis will be key for young people who have serious mental health concerns. 
 Mixing drugs, such as cannabis and alcohol, can also increase the possibility of experiencing harms. Intoxication may be more intense and long lasting and the young person may not appreciate how impaired they are. We often suggest, “Not too much, not too often, and only in a safe context” as a simple way to gauge your use of any psychoactive substance. 
 As a parent or caring adult, an open respectful relationship with a young person is one of your best resources and ways to prevent harms from substance use. Letting the youth know they can approach you at any time to talk about cannabis, other substances, or anything else of concern to them, says they matter to you and you are ready to listen and engage in dialogue with them. This is a great place to begin addressing anything that might come the young person’s way in life! 
 The Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, formerly CARBC, is a member of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information. The institute is dedicated to the study of substance use in support of community-wide efforts aimed at providing all people with access to healthier lives, whether using substances or not. For more, visit www.cisur.ca.
Question: What's the difference between mental health and mental illness?
Answer: ‘Mental health’ and ‘mental illness’ are increasingly being used as if they mean the same thing, but they do not. Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has health. As the World Health Organization famously says, “There is no health without mental health.” In the course of a lifetime, not all people will experience a mental illness, but everyone will struggle or have a challenge with their mental well-being (i.e., their mental health) just like we all have challenges with our physical well-being from time to time. 
 When we talk about mental health, we’re talking about our mental well-being: our emotions, our thoughts and feelings, our ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, our social connections, and our understanding of the world around us. 
 A mental illness is an illness the affects that way people think, feel, behave, or interact with others. There are many different mental illnesses, and they have different symptoms that impact peoples’ lives in different ways. 
 Health isn’t like an on/off switch. There are different degrees of health. People move on a continuum ranging from great or good health to so-so health to poor health to illness or disability. For example, some people have good health and have no problems going about their lives. Some people experience serious health problems, and their poor health has a very negative impact on their life. Some people have serious health problems that last for a long time, and others have serious health problems that resolve very quickly. Many people fall somewhere in the middle—they’re generally in good health, though the occasional problem may come up. Mental health is the same way. 
 Just as someone who feels unwell may not have a serious illness, people may have poor mental health without a mental illness. We all have days where we feel a bit down, or stressed out, or overwhelmed by something that’s happening in our lives. An important part of good mental health is the ability to look at problems or concerns realistically. Good mental health isn’t about feeling happy and confident 100% of time and ignoring any problems. It’s about living and coping well despite problems. 
 Just as it’s possible to have poor mental health but no mental illness, it’s entirely possible to have good mental health even with a diagnosis of a mental illness. That’s because mental illnesses (like other health problems) are often episodic, meaning there are times (‘episodes’) of ill health and times of better or good health. 
 With the right supports and tools, anyone can live well—however they define well—and find meaning, contribute to their communities, and work towards their goals.
Question: Where can I find more information about depression?
Answer: Our info sheets on mood disorders, bipolar disorder, and depression offer information on mood problems, treatment options, and resources in BC. We also offer What is Depression? It’s a booklet with audio in plain language for lower literacy readers. You can take a screening self-test for depression (and other mental health concerns). The adult depression tool also screens for signs of bipolar disorder. 
 If you want to go beyond the basics, our Managing Depression series can help you deal with a diagnosis of depression, work with doctor, and prevent relapse of depression. You’ll also find many experiences and perspectives around depression—reading personal stories can help you feel less alone.
Question: What’s the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder?
Answer: Anxiety is a normal reaction to many different kinds of events and situations in our lives. Anxiety is one of our internal warning systems that alerts us to danger or other threats and prepares our bodies to fight back or get out of a dangerous situation. (Scientists call this the ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ response.) 
 A manageable amount of anxiety from time to time can be helpful. For example, it can motivate you to prepare for a test a school or finish a task at work. Even happy events like moving to a new home or celebrating an important milestone can bring up anxiety—all of this is just part of being human. 
 Anxiety is a problem when it becomes overwhelming or unmanageable and it comes up unexpectedly. Anxiety disorders are mental illnesses that have a big impact your life. People may avoid going about their daily lives in order to avoid anxiety. They may experience a lot of uncomfortable physical sensations and physical health problems. Many people say that they know their anxiety isn’t based in reality, but they feel ‘trapped’ by their thought and feelings. Anxiety disorders can be treated. It’s important to seek help if you’re concerned about anxiety in your life. 
 Normal anxiety... 
 Is related to a specific situation or problem 
 Lasts only as long as the situation or problem/p> 
 Is proportional to the situation or problem/p> 
 Is a realistic response to a realistic problem or situation/p> 
 When someone experiences an anxiety disorder... 
 Anxiety may come up unexpectedly, for seemingly no reason 
 The anxiety response to a situation or problem may be much stronger that they would expect 
 They may experience a lot of unrealistic anxiety, such as fear of a situation that likely will never happen 
 Anxiety may last for a long time, even when the situation or problem has been resolved 
 Anxiety may feel impossible to control or manage 
 They may avoid situations or things that they believe to trigger anxiety symptoms 
 Here’s an example of normal anxiety and an anxiety disorder. Many people are a bit nervous about flying, which is a totally normal reaction. Yet, if they have to travel for work, they can can get on a plane without any problems. Someone with an anxiety disorder, on the other hand, may not be able to travel to the airport—even if it puts their job in jeopardy. 
 *Formerly classified as an anxiety disorder and currently classified as Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders 
 **Formerly classified as an anxiety disorder and currently classified as Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Question: What's the difference between anxiety and stress?
Answer: Stress and anxiety are often used interchangeably, and there is overlap between stress and anxiety. Stress is related to the same ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ response as anxiety, and the physical sensations of anxiety and stress may be very similar. 
 The cause of stress and anxiety are usually different, however. Stress focuses on mainly external pressures on us that we’re finding hard to cope with. When we are stressed, we usually know what we’re stressed about, and the symptoms of stress typically disappear after the stressful situation is over. 
 Anxiety, on the other hand, isn’t always as easy to figure out. Anxiety focuses on worries or fears about things that could threaten us, as well as anxiety about the anxiety itself. Stress and anxiety are both part of being human, but both can be problems if they last for a long time or have an impact on our well-being or daily life.
Question: What's the difference between sadness and depression?
Answer: Sadness is a normal reaction to a loss, disappointment, problems, or other difficult situations. Feeling sad from time to time is just another part of being human. In these cases, feelings of sadness go away quickly and you can go about your daily life. 
 Other ways to talk about sadness might be ‘feeling low,’ ‘feeling down,’ or ‘feeling blue.’ A person may say they are feeling ‘depressed,’ but if it goes away on its own and doesn’t impact life in a big way, it probably isn’t the illness of depression. 
 Depression is a mental illness that affects your mood, the way you understand yourself, and the way you understand and relate to things around you. It can also go by different names, such as clinical depression, major depressive disorder, or major depression. Depression can come up for no reason, and it lasts for a long time. It’s much more than sadness or low mood. People who experience depression may feel worthless or hopeless. They may feel unreasonable guilty. Some people may experience depression as anger or irritability. It may be hard to concentrate or make decisions. Most people lose interest in things that they used to enjoy and may isolate themselves from others. There are also physical signs of depression, such as problems with sleep, appetite and energy and unexplainable aches or pains. Some may experience difficult thoughts about death or ending their life (suicide). Depression lasts longer than two weeks, doesn’t usually go away on its own, and impacts your life. It’s a real illness, and it is very treatable. It’s important to seek help if you’re concerned about depression.
Question: What is dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder?
Answer: Dysthymia, now called persistent depressive disorder or PDD, is a mood disorder. It is related depression (major depressive disorder). The difference between the two is in the number of symptoms and the amount of time that they last. Someone diagnosed with PDD would experience two to four of the symptoms below for at least two years with no periods of wellness during that time, while someone diagnosed with major depressive disorder would experience five or more of the symptoms below for at least two weeks. 
 Symptoms of PDD include: 
 There is a myth that PDD is not as severe an illness as major depressive disorder, but research shows that the disability of the illness, like the ability to work productively and enjoy hobbies, may be as severe in PDD as it is in major depressive disorder. As PDD involves a smaller number of symptoms that last for a very long time, many people begin to assume PDD is just part of their personality rather than an illness that can be effectively treated. So you should most certainly talk to a doctor or mental health professional if you think you might have PDD.
Question: What is cyclothymic disorder?
Answer: Cyclothymic disorder is a subtype of bipolar disorder. Much like bipolar disorder, the symptoms of cyclothymia include three or more symptoms of hypomania, and five or more symptoms of depression. Like bipolar disorder, people may experience wellness between episodes of hypomania and depression. 
 Symptoms of hypomania include: 
 Symptoms of depression include: 
 Talk to a doctor or mental health professional if you think you might have cyclothymic disorder.
Question: What does rapid cycling mean?
Answer: Rapid cycling means that someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder (or depression) experiences four or more episodes of depression and/or mania in one year. 
 Rapid cycling can happen any time someone experiences bipolar disorder—about 10-20% of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience rapid cycling at some point. In many cases, rapid cycling eventually goes away on its own and people return to a pattern of longer and less frequent episodes.
Question: Where can I find information and help for borderline personality disorder?
Answer: Borderline personality disorder or BPD is a treatable illness. It’s made up of five groups of symptoms around behaviours, emotions, relationships, sense of identity, and awareness. You can read our info sheet on borderline personality disorder. We also have an entire issue of Visions Journal on BPD, where you’ll find information on treatments and support and personal stories from people who are managing BPD and living well. 
 The Borderline Personality Disorder Society of BC offers a support group in Victoria and a resource library, and they have a listing of services in BC. 
 In Vancouver, the DBT Centre of Vancouver offer dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) ad specializes in helping people who experience BPD. The offer individual, group, and family counselling, and they have a useful blog on DBT skills. 
 There are several good, helpful books available now, including: